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School Crime and Victimization


Significant crime takes place in our nation’s schools. School crime ranges from overt violent acts, such as homicide and assaults, to concealed crimes, such as child sexual abuse. Crime problems in schools may involve firearms, weapons, substance abuse. Violence affects suburban and rural, as well as urban schools. Victims of violent crime in schools may suffer physical ailments, withdrawal from peer relations, and display indifference to learning. They also may be more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs, which contributes to lack of learning, growth, and development, and hinders the effective education of children.

Recent Statistics on School Crime and Victimization:

  • In the 2008 to 2009 school year, there were 15 homicides and 7 suicides of school-age youth (5-18) at school. An additional 8 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported having been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in 2009.1

  • In the 2007 to 2008 school year, 17.2 percent of all public schools reported one or more serious violent crimes such as rape, sexual battery other than rape, robbery with or without a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, or fight or physical attack with a weapon.2

  • Middle and high schools (94 percent each) were more likely than elementary schools (65 percent) to have reported the occurrence of at least one violent incident during the 2007 to 2008 school year.3

  • In 2008, students ages 12 to 18 were victims of 113,300 serious violent crimes at school.4

  • In the 2008 to 2009 school year, there were about 1.2 million victims of nonfatal crimes among students ages 12 to18 at school; the crimes included 619,000 thefts and 629,800 violent crimes.5

  • In 2009, 31 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported they had been in a physical fight at least one time during the previous 12 months anywhere, and 11 percent said they had been in a fight on school property during the previous 12 months.6

  • In 2009, about 42 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported having had at least one drink of alcohol anywhere in the past 30 days, while 4 percent had at least one drink on school property.7

  • In 2009, 21 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported having used marijuana anywhere in the past 30 days, while 5 percent reported using on school property. According to students' reports, male students were twice as likely as females to have used marijuana on school property.8

  • In 2007, 32 percent of students ages 12 to 18 reported having been bullied at school.9

  • In 2007, 23 percent of students ages 12 to 18 reported that gangs were present at their schools.

  • In 2009, 17.5 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 had carried a weapon in the previous 30 days, including about 5.9 percent of students who had carried a gun.12

  • In a 2009 study that included youth in grades 6 through 12, 61.1 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) respondents13 said they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation, and 39.9 percent felt unsafe because of their gender expression.14 Of the respondents, 30.0 percent had missed at least one day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable.15

  • In 2009, 84.6 percent of LGBT youth respondents had been verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation, 40.1 percent had been physically harassed (e.g., pushed or shoved), and 18.8 percent had been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation.16

  • Of LGBT students who had been harassed or assaulted at school, 62.4 percent did not report the incident to school officials, most commonly because they doubted anything would be done or the situation could become worse if reported.17

References

  1. National Center for Education Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2010," http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011002.pdf, (accessed September 28, 2011), iii, 7.
  2. Samantha Neiman et al., Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2007?08, Table 1, (Washington DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education 2009), 7, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009326.pdf (accessed September 28, 2011).
  3. Ibid.
  4. Rachel Dinkes et al., "Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010," (Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010), 90, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011002.pdf (accessed September 28, 2011).
  5. Ibid.,Table 2.1.
  6. Ibid, v.
  7. Ibid., vi.
  8. Ibid., vi.
  9. Ibid., 42.
  10. Ibid., 34.
  11. Ibid., 36.
  12. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 2009," (Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010,), 45, Table 8, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf (accessed September 28, 2011).
  13. Note: most students interviewed for this survey were in grades 11 and 12. Only 7 were in grade 6.
  14. Joseph G. Kosciw, et al., "The 2009 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools," (New York: GLSEN, 2010), xvi, http://www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/000/001/1675-2.pdf (accessed September 28, 2011).
  15. Ibid., xvii.
  16. Ibid., xvi.
  17. Ibid.